Fr Kevin Moroney
You have come home after an long day at work, tired, not wanting to speak to
anyone. You are exhausted, and just ready to sit down to eat your supper, when
the doorbell rings!!! What do you do? What do you think? However you are inclined
to respond, the Bible is full of Hospitality stories that give us some indication
of how God might call us to respond.
In the
book of Genesis, Abraham looked up one day and saw three strangers
standing near him. He implored them to stay, washed their feet, and
Sarah prepared cakes for them, while Abraham and a servant prepared
a calf. They served the meal to the stranger and stood by them while
they ate. These are the same three men who informed Abraham and Sarah
that they were going to have a son.
In the stories about the prophet Elijah the Lord spoke to him and said "Go
now to Zaraphath which belongs to Sidon and live there, for I have commanded
a widow there to feed you." Elijah went and found the widow gathering
sticks. There was very little to eat in the land so when he asked her for food
and water she told him that she had only very little. None the less she made
a small cake, gave it to Elijah and took him into her own home.
In the Gospel when Jesus gave travelling instructions as he was sending his disciples out to do ministry He told them that "whatsoever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy and stay there until you leave. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it.....If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town" Jesus was telling them to follow hospitality customs as they travelled.
The laws of hospitality were developed by these nomadic people to ensure their safety and well-being, not only of the travellers, but also of those who took them in. In days when homes were less secure, and weapons less effective, what better way to determine if a stranger was a friend or a foe, than by providing for his basic needs and getting a better sense of them?? One who entered a home as a stranger never left the same way - they either became an honoured guest or an enemy. Travel was common, public inns were a rarity, and any person in that society knew that at some time they too might be dependant on the hospitality of others as they travelled the countryside. These laws therefore were designed to provide a certain level of order and security in society, and also in time they became an important model for Christian Ministry.
The difficulty about using the image of Hospitality as a model for Ministry is that our society today is immeasurably different from the models we find in the Bible. As children, one of the most important rules we were taught by our parents, for our safety, was "Don't talk to strangers" That is a rule we have tended to follow far beyond childhood and although some people put "welcome mats" in front of their homes, I have to be the first to admit that when I get an unexpected knock on the door I begin to consider my excuses for not being able to talk to whoever it may be.
Today we travel in such a way that we are rarely if ever, reliant on the hospitality of someone who will take us in as a stranger - unless our car breaks down a lot. Our homes are well-secured; we can shut our door to the wandering stranger and be confident that he will do us no harm. Society today seems more secure than in biblical times but in many ways is much more dangerous. We must acknowledge the differences between our world and that of the Bible, but we must also honour our call to the Ministry of Hospitality. Perhaps the time to begin is right now.
The Church is a place where we can experience a way of living together which will enhance Society. Our doors are open to everyone and our table is set for all who wish to partake in this sacred meal. We welcome all people and no judgement is placed on anyone, other than the assumption that all are children are beloved of God, and being more than children of God, represent Christ to us. Jesus said: "Those who welcome you welcome me" The challenge to us is to take the hospitality that is shown at this door and at this table and extend it to the doors and tables of our lives. The real experience of coming to this Church is that we may be the Church in the world when we leave. The amazing thing is, that despite the fact that our world is so different from the world of the Bible, the qualities expressed there in the practise of hospitality transcend time and societies and are as relevant today as when the Bible was written.
These qualities are such as:
Acceptance of others without hasty judgement.
Compassion for those who are without shelter or food.
Generosity with the resources we have been given by God. And an openness to what God may bring us in the person of a stranger.
"I saw a stranger yesterday,
I put food in the eating place,
Drink in the drinking place
Music in the listening place,
And in the blessed name of the Triune
He blessed myself and my house...
And the lark said in her song
Often, Often, Often,
Goes the Christ in the stranger's guise:
Often,Often, Often,
Goes the Christ in the stranger's guise."